


Spat

by yeaka



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, F/F, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-24 02:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21330619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: Captain Torres bumps heads with Lieutenant Janeway.
Relationships: Kathryn Janeway/B'Elanna Torres
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	Spat

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Star Trek or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

Paris turns around from the helm and tells her with a useless shrug of his shoulders, “The warp drive’s offline, Captain.”

Frowning, B’Elanna tells him, “Check it again.” 

He gives her that _look_, like he’s a perfectly competent pilot and knows what he saw the first time, but she gives him a worse look, because she’s the _captain_ and she said _check again._ So he does. He reports over his shoulder, “Still offline.”

B’Elanna swears under her breath. She tilts her head back in the captain’s chair, already feeling a crick coming on, but that’s a problem for after her shift. She’s not leaving her bridge while _Voyager_ is floating wistfully about the delta quadrant as if they aren’t all dying to get home. She’s just about to open a comlink to Engineering and demand her order be obeyed, but the bridge doors whoosh open and her Chief Engineer steps out before she can. 

Lieutenant Janeway marches right down to the center of the bridge. She stands in front of B’Elanna, crosses her lean arms, and coolly reports, “The warp drive is staying offline.”

“I told you we needed it,” B’Elanna counters.

Kathryn says, “I told you we needed at least five hours to mount repairs.”

“And I told you you had three.”

“And _I told you_ that’s not enough.”

B’Elanna’s eyes squint. Kathryn isn’t yelling—she rarely does. She’s stubborn but professional. B’Elanna’s the one that wants to yell, but not on her bridge: not out in the open where all her junior officers can see. After a few seconds of just trying to stare one another down, B’Elanna rises and grunts, “In my ready room, Lieutenant.”

Kathryn obediently follows. They meander into the attached quarters, where the door smoothly seals off all witnesses. Then B’Elanna rounds on her engineer and hisses, “I gave you an order.”

“An order we couldn’t safely complete. I told you, bringing them online before we’ve finished the diagnostics would be a huge mistake.”

B’Elanna takes a step forward. She can feel the _rage_ seething through her and has to force it down. Another step, and she’s right in Kathryn’s face, but Kathryn is every bit as fierce as she is and doesn’t back down. B’Elanna grits out, “Don’t defy me on my own bridge.”

There’s a conspicuously silent pause. Then Kathryn tilts forward and pecks B’Elanna lightly on the lips. B’Elanna’s hands fly up to Kathryn’s shoulders, planning to shove her back, but then Kathryn’s pressing in again and B’Elanna’s opened her mouth. 

Her fingers curl in the smooth fabric of Kathryn’s uniform. Kathryn’s tongue slides into her mouth, and B’Elanna deepens it further, blunt teeth scraping along Kathryn’s bottom lip. For a brief moment, her irritation channels into that: she even thrusts her hand into Kathryn’s rich brown hair and tugs hard enough to make her gasp. 

Then they’re pulling apart, and B’Elanna begrudgingly mutters, “I’ll take it under consideration.” She hates backing down, but always Kathryn knows just how to get under her skin. 

At least Kathryn has the decency to murmur, “I apologize. I shouldn’t have undermined you publicly.”

“You shouldn’t have.”

Kathryn barely manages to stifle a grin. She nods her head. She looks at B’Elanna, and B’Elanna summons tremendous willpower to say, “Dismissed.” She needs her Chief Engineer in engineering. Kathryn doesn’t let any disappointment show. She goes to do what she’s supposed to. 

B’Elanna walks over to her desk to fetch her stress-ball, kneads it a few times, violently chucks it against the nearest viewport, and then goes back to her bridge.


End file.
